Electric vaporizer



Filed July 28. 1932 5) M /77'7 RNE/5.

. porize thev same.

Patented Oct. 16, 1934 UNITED STATES ELECTRIC VAPORIZER William H. Ginder, Haddoniield, N. J., assigner to John S. Westney, Philadelphia, Pa., and Harry L. Randal, Chestnut Hill, Pa., trustees Application July 28, 1932, Serial No. 625,264

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a vaporizer for liquids and more particularly to an electrically operated vaporizer designed for the production of perfumed or medicated vapors or the like, although,

as may be obvious, it may be used merely for the production of a desiredhumid atmosphere by the vaporization of water.

It is the-object of the invention to provide an arrangement of the character just indicated in which the rate of vaporization is controlled so that, for example, in cases where a perfumed liquid is being vaporized, the concentration of vapors within a room will be kept at a desired point. This is effected specifically in the preferred embodiment of the invention by causing a regulated presentation of liquid to form an electrolyte between two electrodes in such manner that the heat generated by the conduction of current through the liquid will serve to va- The controlled presentation of liquid as the electrolyte is effected by4 leading liquid from the body of the same to the electrodes by means of capillary action, the flow being specifically and preferably controlled by the use of a porous, non-conducting material such as glass or mineral wool, or asbestos, or the like.

Further objects of the invention, relating particularly to details of construction, will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the following drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a preferred form of apparatus. y

Fig. 2 is a Ahorizontal section taken on the plane indicated at 2, 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing the arrangement of the electrodes upon the nonconducting, porous support.

The' apparatus shown in the drawing Vcomprises a bowl 2, preferably of ceramic material, although metal may be used if desired. This bowl is designed to be covered by a perforatedl lid 4, the perforation being desirable to permit4 the iniiux. of air as the liquid material within the bowl is vaporized.

Within a socket 6. formed at the bottom of 4'the bowl, there is held in upright position a. glass tube 8 having -at its top a restricted opening or nozzle 10. The bottom of this tube 8 is formed so as to provide free communication between its interior and the liquid within the bowl. Such communication may be provided, of course, by a suitable form of the socket 6 which will prevent its completely closing the lower end of the tube. The tube is further held in its upright position by engagement within an opening in a disc 14 preferably supported upon an inwardly directed bead about the top of the bowl. Prongs 16, extending downwardly ai() from the opening in the plate 14, may be provided for a more secure holding of the tube 8. Located within the tube 8, and preferably supported upon a glass tube 20, is a porous electrode carrier which may be formed of purnice, or a5 the like. While preferably this electrode is porous, it need not be so and may be formed of suitable molded material which will not be affected at the boiling temperatures of the liquid. Electrode 22, sealed in the glass tube 7 A 20 and projecting upwardly therefrom within the member 18, is wrapped spirally about this member, as indicated at 26. lThe other end of the electrode is connected to an insulated wire 24 which projects outwardly and forms one of 75 the leads from a current supply. A second tube 28, extending beside the tube 20, projects upwardly within the glass tube 8 outside' the carrier 18 and has sealed therein and projecting therefrom an electrode 30 which is also 8g spiralled about the carrier 18 and secured at its free end as indicated at 32. This electrode is connected with the insulated lead 34, which forms the other wire from a supply. The two glass tubes 20 and 28 prevent the body of the liquid .from electrically connecting the wires 22 and 30. The electrodes, as 'is most clearly indicated in Fig. 3, are wound in spaced relationship upon the holder or carrier 18 so that they do not have metallic contact. The carrier itself being an insulator will not provide for any conduction of electricity from one to the other.

Within the tube vsurrounding the electrodes,

Athe carrier 18 and the glass tubes 20 and 28 is glass or mineral wool, or asbestos, or the like, the illaments of which are preferably arranged in upwardly extending position. These filaments provide between them capillary spaces so that the liquid from. the supply 38 in the bowl is carried upwardly about the electrodes providing a conducting electrolyte, the effective cross-section of which is so relatively small that a comparatively high resistance is provided in which, by thev passage of the current, there Awill be generated sufcient heat to vaporize the liquid. The vapors' thus produced by the passage of current will pass out the opening 10. The illamentary material within the tube may vary considerably, its requirements being, of course, that it no` shall be non-conducting and shall not be aected at'th'e boiling temperatures of the liquid.

'I'he liquid, which forms the electrolyte, preierably consists of water having sumcient impurities therein so that it will be conductive, there being added to the water a small amount oi aromatic oil or medical material, as the case 4may be, whichl will be vaporized, together with the water, by the passage of the current between the electrodes. Even fairly non-volatile oils may be readily volatilized in the steam in the well known manner analogous to the distillation of such oilsin steam.

Initially a suitable supply of liquid is placed within the apparatus, the level of which mayor may not be above that oi' parts of vthe electrodes. This is immaterial, since, irrespective of the level oi' the liquid, the amount presented within the electrodes will be controlled by the iilamentary material within the tube 8. As the liquid is vaporized, the level of the supply will drop.' Liquid will, however, continue to be presented to the electrodes by the capillary rise through the packing material. When thesupply of liquid is exhausted, the ilow of current' is automatically shut oi, since no ilow can occur unless liquid bridges the electrodes. Consequently, the device may be filled with the liquid supply plugged intothe source of current and4 permitted to operate without any attention being paid to the amount oi' liquid remaining therein. 4

It will be obvious,` fromthe construction illustrated, that cleaning may be readily effected so that the type of liquid to be vaporized may be readily changed. This is particularly important in case medicated vapors are to be produced. 'Ihe initiation of the production of vapors from an oil or other material may be initially promoted by introducing a few drops within the discharge opening 10, so that it is unnecessary to wait until a substantial rise of the liquid containing the oil about the electrodes takes place, particularly if there is already an inert liquid, such as water, surrounding these electrodes, which must be displaced before vaporization of the aromatic material takes place.

The electrodes should be of material which will not be destroyed by the electrolytic action even though direct current may be employed. Of course, the apparatus is operable with either direct or alternating current, but most materials as electrodes will be attacked even when alternating' current is used resulting in their rapid destruction. It has been found that tungsten is a most suitable material for use as the electrodes. Instead of providing spiral electrodes, as indicated, other forms may be used; for example, plates carried on opposite sides 'of an insulating carrier. ,In any case, the eiective areas of the electrodes should be suchl that a suitable lcurrent will pass when the liquid is properly limited in amount by the condition of the glass wool, or other illler in' the tube 8.

It will be obvious that numerous variations oi.' details of the construction may be made without departing from the invention as deilned in the following claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A vaporizer including means for holding a liquid to be vaporized, a tube having its lower end beneath the liquid, a plurality of electrodes within the tube, and means providing capillary passages within the tube to conduct the liquid to the electrodes to electrolytically connect said electrodes, said tube serving to separate the main body of liquid from that within the capillary passages whereby said main body remains cool while vaporization of the liquid -between the electrodes takes place.

2. A vaporizer including means for holding a liquid to be vaporized, a tube having its lower end beneath the liquid, a plurality oi electrodes within the tube. and ilbrous material providing capillary passages within the tube to conduct the liquid to the electrodes to electrolytically connect said electrodes, said tube serving to separate the main body of liquid from that within the capillary passages whereby said main 'body remains cool while vaporization of the liquid between the electrodes takes place.

3. A vaporizer including means for holding a liquid to be vaporized, a tube having its lower end beneath the liquid, a plurality of electrodes within the tube, and glass wool .providing capillary passages w'ithin the tube to conduct the liquid to the electrodes to electrolytically connect said electrodes, said tube serving to separate the main body of liquid fromy that within the capillary passages whereby said main body remains cool while vaporization oi.' the liquid between the electrodes takes place.

4. A vaporizer including means for holding a liquid to be vaporized, a tube having its lower end beneath the liquid, a plurality of electrodes within the tube, means providing capillary passages within the tube to conduct the liquid to the electrodes to electrolytically connect said electrodes, and leads for conducting current to the "active portions oi.' the electrodes, said leads being submerged in the liquid but insulated therefrom.

5. A vaporizer including means for holding a liquid to be vaporized, a tube having its lower end beneath the liquid, a plurality of electrodes within the tube, means providing capillary passages within the tube to conduct the liquid to the electrodes to electrolytically connect said electrodes, and leads for conducting current to the active portions of the electrodes, said leads being enclosed by glass tubes immersed in the liquid.

WILLIAM H. GINDER. 

